30 05, 2024

Buddha Nature: The Most Powerful Antidote

2024-05-31T14:40:03-07:00Categories: Blog, Mahamudra, Meditation|

Buddha Nature: The Most Powerful Antidote Written by Israel Lifshitz We, as 21st century Westerners, have a strong historical, religious and cultural background of low self-esteem and self-deprecation. Our ideas about sin and guilt are so deeply ingrained that even the non-religious, free thinking scientist Sigmund Freud said in Civilization and Its Discontents: "Due to our own psychic constitution we have a limited capacity for virtue and happiness, and therefore, we must feel satisfied with a moderate level of mental balance and wellbeing."* This is not a minor issue. It can even work as our biggest obstacle to progressing along the Buddhist path. If deep down in our

12 05, 2024

Key Qualities of Mahamudra Meditation

2024-05-12T14:21:54-07:00Categories: Blog, Mahamudra, Meditation|

Key Qualities of Mahamudra Meditation Written by Michael Miller Nitartha CFO Nalandabodhi Karunika and Practice Instructor As we embark on our journey through the Mahamudra practices, it is important to note the differences between Mahamudra meditation and simple shamatha. The differences are subtle but profound, and we can miss the point entirely if we do not know them. First, renunciation or revulsion is important. We need to develop some sense of giving in, some sense of renunciation. This does not mean going off to a cave and giving up all our worldly possessions. But it does mean that we must be willing to give up our fixed

16 08, 2023

Non-Thinking through Clear Thinking

2024-03-26T09:41:45-07:00Categories: Blog, Cittamatra, Karl Brunnholzl, Mahamudra, Mind Only, Shedra, Summer Institute, Yogacara|

Non-Thinking through Clear ThinkingIt sometimes feels like study proliferates our thoughts, when what we really want is for the mind to be still. But our thoughts are a tool. We can use them to undermine our belief in solidity. In fact, Nitartha’s Clear Thinking course offers a method to arrive at non-thought, which is one aspect of the experience of meditation.Dignaga and Dharmakirti analyzed language, words and clauses, and observed that among those the most elemental unit of expression is a word which is imbued with meaning. They noted that thoughts are language and concluded that language is the same as logical operations, and that the expression of

11 04, 2023

Nitartha Faculty, Mitra Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl, on Wisdom Podcast

2023-04-12T10:35:35-07:00Categories: Blog, Karl Brunnholzl, Mahamudra|

Nitartha Faculty, Mitra Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl, on Wisdom Podcast In this podcast episode, listen to Buddhist scholar, translator and Nitartha Institute teacher Mitra Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl discuss the profound practice of Mahamudra in Tibetan Buddhism. He highlights the importance of recognizing the true nature of mind as well as the dohā tradition of mahasiddhas, the role of singing and dancing and the voice of women in Mahamudra songs of realization. Mitra  Brunnhölzl also explains the four yogas of Mahamudra, the importance of a qualified teacher and the integration of study, contemplation and meditation for a complete spiritual path. The discussion provides valuable insights for advanced Buddhist practitioners who

11 04, 2023

Yogacara: the remedy for the poor diet of “Mind Only”

2023-04-11T16:55:53-07:00Categories: Blog, Cittamatra, Karl Brunnholzl, Mahamudra, Mind Only, Shedra, Summer Institute, Yogacara|

Yogacara: the remedy for the poor diet of "Mind Only" by Mitra Dr. Karl Brunnhölzl. Mitra Brunnhölzl will be teaching on Yogacara at July's Summer Institute. To remedy the poor diet of “Mind-Only” always being refuted by Madhyamaka as the highest Buddhist view and do justice to the great Indian Mahayana Yogacara tradition, recent teachings on Vasubandhu’s Thirty Verses by H.H. the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, extensively discuss the need to review the way Tibetan doxographies present the so-called “Mind-Only School” in light of the classical Yogacara School in India and China. Yogacara is (mis)represented as “Mind-Only” for three main reasons: superficial and out-of-context judgments based on

22 02, 2023

Enhance Your Mahamudra Practice through Space Awareness

2023-03-09T11:07:26-08:00Categories: Blog, Buddhist Studies, Mahamudra, Summer Institute|

Enhance Your Mahamudra Practice through Space Awareness Space Awareness will be offered on site at this year's Summer Institute (for details, check out the Summer Institute Enhancement Activities page). I wonder, how would we be able to experience the "spaciously relaxed" quality of Mahamudra meditation without having a sense of space? How big is your sense of space? As you go about your day, do you feel the space behind your back? Are you aware of the space above and below you as you walk, talk or wash the dishes? Or do you go through most of your day only aware of what is in the visual field

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